Beginner lesson eight

In this lesson, we discuss the crossover retreat and the feints from cut four.

In Olympic Sabre, the only passing step we are allowed to use is the crossover retreat. In order to do this movement, you will take your leading foot and bring it behind your trailing foot on the outside. You want to bring your lead foot back as far as is comfortable. Then bring your trailing foot back and rest it back into en guarde position. This piece of footwork should feel like you are walking backwards. Be careful and practice this passing step before using it in a live bout, I have seen many fencers trip over their feet when they weren't well practiced in this footwork.

The feints from cut four are done exactly as described in the feints from cut three post.  With the 4-2 feint, you will feign cut 4, and then when your opponent takes the feint, you will leave your blade out, and dip under your opponent's hand and make a false edge cut to your opponent's wrist.